The Symbolic Moment 300,000 Romanians Lit Up Their Phones to ‘Shed Light on Corruption’

On February 5, 2017 at 9 pm local time, 300,000 protesters in Bucharest, Romania lit up their phones to ‘shed light on corruption’ as protests took place across the country.

According to the Guardian, ‘the object of public anger was an emergency decree passed on Tuesday night that critics at home and abroad feared marked an alarming retreat in the battle against corruption, long the scourge of the EU’s second-poorest country.’ [source]

The decree, which had been scheduled to come into force on 10 February, would have made abuse of power a crime punishable by jail only if the sums involved exceeded 200,000 lei (£38,000). While the original decree was repealed that evening, protests have continued for the government to resign.